Rainbow Coloured Apples
by moriaty123
Summary: Death is a natural part of life. But what happens when it comes to a world that knows nothing of it?
1. A Hole In My World

Three creatures could be seen that rainy night at the foot of a cliff in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Two were staring at a spot a few metres in front of them; the dark-coloured Unicorn trembling, not yet fallen to her knees, and the lighter, dainty Pegasus beside her frozen in shock. A little way behind them, the third, her bright pink dulled in the gloom, was on the muddy ground facing away, her body heaving rhythmically.

The storm intensified and a bolt of lightning struck between the wild and unmanaged clouds high above, illuminating against the cliff face for a short second the silhouette of a body pierced on the peak of a jagged rock. It was limp, unmoving and, incredibly, had a Stetson still perfectly attached to the back of its head.

* * *

><p>"Can I get you anything?"<p>

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, thank you Spike. Unless you have a way of hearing from the others."

Spike looked away glumly. His scroll-sending powers were of little use when Twilight didn't have anyone with her able to return a message. The pale Unicorn tucked up in bed nodded sympathetically, and the little dragon went back into the kitchen - to worry-eat on gems, Rarity didn't doubt.

She sank back into her pillow, itching to roll over onto her side but unable to accommodate her back leg, which was set in a thick plaster. It was irresponsible of the others to go without her, she thought to herself. Two magical Unicorns was a far greater advantage than one. If they couldn't have waited for her to heal, they should have just plonked her in a wheelbarrow and have Rainbow Dash whizz her along (no matter how undignified that would have been).

Hours passed, and rain began to fall on the windows. Perhaps she should ask Spike to make tea for when everyone returned; they'd be exhausted, no doubt, whatever the outcome. But just as she was about to call for him, the door swung open and four tired ponies traipsed inside.

"Oh, you poor dears!" Rarity cried. "Spike, fetch some towels from upstairs!"

The baby dragon rushed in, gave a quick, relieved wave to Twilight, who didn't acknowledge it, and hurried up the stairway.

"So I take it we were victorious? It's a ghastly load off my mind, I can tell you. And where's Applejack? She can't want to trudge all the way down to her farm when my house is-"

And she knew. Right from the moment Twilight met her eyes to cut her off, Rarity knew, so that when Fluttershy finally got the words out she just nodded. Such a response seemed a little cold to her in retrospect, but at that moment etiquette was the furthest thing from her mind. Except to note grimly the towels that rolled, unattended, down the stairs.

* * *

><p>Pinkamena Diane Pie (she never thought of herself as 'Pinkie') hadn't had a happy thought since the night in the Everfree Forest. Well, that can't have been true. It would be impossible not to have ANY happy thoughts. But no big, delicious, ultra-fantastic happy thought that had broken the barrier of her short memory span and stayed with her, of which she usually had many. Perhaps it was part of the grieving process. She'd never done it before.<br>Neither had any other pony, she supposed, based on everyone's behaviour over the last few days. No-one seemed to know what to do to comfort each other or deal with their own feelings, so it ended up that no-one talked about it. Everyone just went around being sad and quiet. Neither Fluttershy nor Rarity had left their house (though in fairness, Rarity still couldn't; Spike was still looking after her). Twilight or Rainbow Dash she'd bump into at the market sometimes, where they'd exchanged forced smiles and go their own way, and… no. She wasn't forgetting anyone. There were only five of them now.

No-one had seen any of the Apple family either; they'd been left to grieve privately, so Apple Blossom, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were all absent from the streets of Ponyville. It was unknown if and when they'd be organising a funeral. Pinkie vaguely wondered if Princesses Celestia or Luna would attend. Applejack had… in the service of saving Equestria, after all.

Pinkie stopped. She'd found herself in the woods; not part of the Forest, but leading out of Ponyville. She'd ended up absently headed toward Sweet Apple Acres, so she turned in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage, resolving to go check on her.

As she made her way, she started to hear an odd whooshing sound. The air was still, so it wasn't the wind in the trees. And yet…

Leaving the path, Pinkie eventually found the source; a fast blue shape was racing repeatedly up and down a long space between trees, which was more like a runway than a clearing. Adjusting her eyes to catch Rainbow Dash's movements, Pinkie saw the Pegasus stop at each end of the field, turn, and run back at full tilt, lifting off the ground a little but not taking flight.

"Hi!" Pinkie called brightly. Dash glanced to the side to catch the noise, but was going so fast that she had to spin her head right round, which put off her balance and she crashed into a tree. Pinkie trotted over, characteristically oblivious to the accidents she caused by suddenly appearing.

"That doesn't look like a very good way to fly." She stopped herself from asking if Rainbow Dash had forgotten how; though talkative, Pinkie was always aware of what she said and whether it would offend anyone, and that was the last thing she ever wanted. Particularly with Rainbow Dash, who was egotistical, therefore sensitive.

"No. I'm just getting some energy out of my system." Dash brushed herself off and sat on her flank under the tree, panting slightly.

"Isn't the best way to do that to fly? You always fly fast, that must use up a lot of energy. Maybe you could clear the clouds, though it's already a sunny day, so maybe you could bring some more clouds in. Oh, then you could bring some rainclouds and make a rainbow! After all, you are _Rainbow_ Da-"

"DON'T-" Rainbow Dash quickly stopped herself mid-shout. "Please don't call me that."

It wasn't the snapping that shocked Pinkie. It was how polite Rainbow Dash had been after she'd checked herself. She'd said _please._ Pinkie couldn't remember her _ever_ saying please before. Obviously she'd accidentally offended her, so she quickly ran through what she'd babbled and pinpointed a possible suspect.

"...Dash?" She experimented. Rainbow Dash didn't flinch, but kept her eyes lowered. "What's wrong?" Pinkie lay down on her tummy beside her to try and make her friend more comfortable. After she'd allowed a few moments of silence to pass, Dash began to let tears fall.

"Ayjay." She croaked. Pinkie nodded. She wasn't sure why.

"Then what's the problem with your name?"

"I… I haven't flown since… I haven't wanted to. I've felt… _so_ guilty."

"Guilty? It wasn't your fault, it was because of Nightmare. You weren't even there."

"Yes I was!" Rainbow Dash yelled, but not at Pinkie. More tears came, but she didn't sob – it was a deeper sadness. "I'd… Nightmare had thrown me off the mountain, so I'd circled around it for ages trying to find you guys and… I saw everything from above. I saw the cliff crack, I saw her fall and… I dived for her. I dived so fast, but…" She trailed off, it was too hard for her to go on.

"It's okay. You did your best." Pinkie tried to put her hoof on Dash's, but the other pony quickly drew hers back.

"No. I dived for her. And I was about to do a Rainboom, I could feel it. But… I saw that she was too far away. That if I kept going I'd hit the ground too. So I… I… pulled up." Now Dash broke down into gentle sobs, leaning forward over the front legs holding her up.

Pinkie never could remember what went through her head in that next minute or so, whether there was a moment of blame in her heart. If there was, she reconciled it because she lifted herself up and put her front leg over Dash's back.

"You stopped us from losing two friends. That's a good thing."

"But I let her g-go." Dash didn't resist her hug and leant her head against Pinkie's shoulder. "Maybe I could have saved her."

"You're the best flyer I know. You've told me so enough. If your head told you that you couldn't have done it, then you couldn't have done it."

There was no telling whether Dash had accepted her words or not. She just lay there crying against her friend for a long while. Pinkie held back her own tears, ever the one to be strong and support her friends through all problems, the one to laugh and entertain so that everyone got through hardship. The hostess.

* * *

><p>I should have been there.<p>

Why wasn't I there?

I could have put up a fight. Made them take me. I'm _Rarity_ for goodness' sake, if I had really wanted to go I would have gone! Even if I couldn't have done anything to change Applejack's fate, I could have at least been there for her. But I still haven't left this _stupid bed!_

Rarity yelled out in frustration. That only made her throat sore, and Spike had gone home for the night so there was no-one to bring her a drink. She shook her head. It wasn't fair to take out her stress on herself, or on anyone else.

No. There was someone. Nightmare. The force that had inhabited Princess Luna and turned her against her sister and all of Equestria with bitterness. That had tried to live in the hearts of all ponies and turn them against each other.

That had killed her friend Applejack.

Dear, sweet, true, wonderful Applejack.

Rarity threw back her covers. She wasn't going to stay in bed any longer.

* * *

><p>It was early the next morning that Rainbow Dash came to Rarity's shop to try and catch her before Spike arrived to dote. After checking through the window to see if she was asleep and seeing the bed empty, Dash opened the door, the bell above it ringing.<p>

"Hello? Rarity? Are you up now? I wanted to talk to you about… my hair. If there's going to be a funeral, I thought my colours might not be appropriate so I thought I should maybe dye it black."

She knew there would be a squeal of disapproval sounding from somewhere in the house. Rarity was always bugging Dash about growing the front of her mane and doing something 'fabulous' with it to do the colours justice. Dash still wasn't sure what 'fabulous' actually meant.

But no sound came.

"Or maybe, you know, shave it all off."

Still nothing. Something was definitely wrong. Dash started to search the house.

"Hi Fluttershy."

"Oh, hello Twilight."

Twilight trotted over to the stall where Fluttershy was picking through types of oat. It was the first time that the quiet Pegasus been in Ponyville for a few days, and she'd forgotten how quickly it was before you met someone you knew in the small town.

"Isn't Spike with you?" Fluttershy asked before either of them could say 'How are you?'

"He's still in bed." Twilight seemed grateful for the skipping of pleasantries. "He's been up late looking after Rarity these last few days, so he needs more sleep."

"Oh dear, is she not getting better?"

"It was a magical wound, so it'll take some time to-"

"GUYS!"

They both turned to see Rainbow Dash whizz up to them.

"Rarity's gone, she's not in her house."

"What?" Twilight frowned. "But her leg- did someone take her?"

"I don't think so, the bed was made."

"Where would she go?" Fluttershy stopped herself imagining the pain Rarity must have gone through forcing herself to walk.

"I think I know." Dash took off down the street, slow enough for the others to follow at a gallop.

* * *

><p>Weak. So weak. Nightmare hated being weak – twice in one decade she'd been vanquished and forced to hide away to regain her strength. At least now she could hide away in peace in the ruins of the Moon Castle where she had first been defeated by Twilight and her friends. It was so obvious a hiding place they wouldn't think she'd be so stupid as to stay there.<p>

BAM! The door burst open.

"NIGHTMARE!"

Confound those ponies.

Nightmare drifted up in her cloud form to hang high up by the ceiling over the Unicorn who walked in before she was spotted. In her weakened state, the malignant spirit couldn't identify the creature. She sank down to get a closer look with her dulled senses.

And suddenly she'd been slammed down on the floor with a flick of the Unicorn's glowing horn.

"I've got her!" It cried. Nightmare heard other hooves fast approaching, and with painful effort forced herself into the shape of Nightmare Moon. With her new eyes, she looked up and gave a mocking smile to hide her anger as she recognised the pony holding her down.

"Twilight Sparkle. How pleasant to see you again so soon."

"Where is she?" Twilight growled as the other members of her miniature herd came racing into the room.

"She must have friends." Nightmare widened her smile. "I mean, such good friends who she doesn't tell when she's going on a revenge mission. Although perhaps the fact that she wasn't invited along the first time has something to do with that."

Nightmare's now-solid head was slammed against the floor once again, but this time when her eyes refocused, she saw it was the pink earth pony who was pinning her down.

"You've hurt us enough already by taking away one of our friends, and that's enough for a lifetime. But if you tell me that you've taken another, I promise that these three standing behind me won't even have time to kill you. Now we'll ask again; where is Rarity?"

"I don't know." Nightmare scowled. "I've been alone here for days, no-one's come into the ruins."

They must have trusted that she'd boast about killing another one of their friends if it were true, because they looked to each other, puzzled.

"Maybe she came another way and isn't here yet." The multi-coloured Pegasus suggested. "It must take ages with her leg." Twilight nodded in agreement and looked back down at Nightmare.

"You can find her. Sense her with your magic."

"And why on earth would I help you?"

For her trouble she was kicked across the room, where she dissipated back into her cloud form as she hit the wall. As she drifted away, blind again, she idly wondered where the other Unicorn could be.

* * *

><p>Odd tracks were left in the mud behind the pale, slow-moving pony. She'd given up limping, and just let her injured leg drag – the cast protected it from hurting too much as long as she didn't put pressure on it. She wasn't even thinking of the mud she was collecting on either the cast or the rest of her body, as each forced step splashed dirt onto her flank.<p>

It had taken her all night and most of the morning to reach the spot, and she was exhausted. But she knew that the most draining part was to come, and she let herself sit still and breathe for a few minutes. And then she began.

Rarity closed her eyes and focussed like Twilight had taught her to, feeling her horn quiver with magic on her forehead. She felt a grasp on her quarry and let her senses pour through it, examining every part. She paused, but only to gather herself, never a moment's doubt in her plan. She inhaled, screwed up her face, and sent all of her remaining energy through her horn and into the body levitating before her.

Organs repaired themselves and skin healed over tears. Rarity would have cried out with effort and pain if she had any brainpower spare to do so. Her front hooves gave way at one point and she nearly fell, but regained control just before she lost her focus. There was no image in her mind of what she was doing; she probably wouldn't have been able to handle the sight. But she could feel much more vividly every puncture and break being fixed. The body hadn't been moved, just as she'd suspected, no-one being able to bear to. That had left rot in places which she now restored. She felt the pain rising, so quickly pressed on and restarted the heart.

The amount of energy that took was monumental. Every system had to have blood forced back through it after being unused for days. The effort was crippling Rarity, she was sure. And when the blood hit the brain, even with all her energy directed out of herself, Rarity screamed.

The scream kept her going, and as she exhaled through it, more magic was expelled out of her and into her target, sparking its systems into action.

And suddenly, finally, Applejack's eyes opened, blank and pupiless.


	2. The Nightmare

Nightmare's senses were still dull, but she could still feel the rip in the fabric of the magical dimensions. She doubted Twilight, powerful but still a student, felt more than a momentary shiver. But Nightmare, who had had millennia to attune herself to every ripple and wave in the enchanted realms, sensed it clearly. And this was far more than a ripple – somewhere, a hole was being torn in the world, and through that hole lay power. So as Twilight and her friends talked among themselves, ignoring Nightmare, she drank from it.

"What if we got it wrong, what if she didn't even leave Ponyville?" Pinkie turned to Dash. "Are you sure you checked all of her house?"

"Yes!" Dash was impatient and tense, having been ready for a fight.

"Maybe she got hurt on her way here." Fluttershy shuddered at the thought of her friend in pain, trapped in the forest somewhere."

"You all go check. Find Zecora." Twilight directed. "I'll stay here in case she comes here."

"Or maybe we should all go. Like, _now._"

Twilight frowned at Rainbow Dash and followed her wide-eyed line of sight.

The cloud that had been Nightmare ha spread like a mist. It was now taking up the whole of the room, and tiny sparks of electricity lit up the shadows in short flashes. Even Rainbow Dash was ignoring her own advice as they all stared up in horror, watching the cloud merge back into a solid form – now a giant, dark phoenix that spread out its wings and screeched horribly.

It was Fluttershy who finally screamed "RUN!" and cued them all to race out of the ruins, the giant bird stomping after them, smashing away walls and doorways before it. Rainbow Dash led the way into the forest, where Nightmare was now able to spread her wings fully and take flight, and was soon gliding over them.

Twilight heard laughing coming from beside her, and turned incredulously to Pinkie Pie. But she saw that the other pony's expression was terrified – she was laughing to try and keep herself going.

A talon swooped down between them and Twilight had to dive to the side to avoid being slashed. Pinkie had been hit – not cut, but with enough force to send her rolling forward. Dash and Fluttershy, who'd been flying low behind them, stopped with them.

"You two fly above, try to distract her, draw her away from the town while I come up with a plan."

Fluttershy trembled. "But-"

"Fluttershy, there's just no time. Go, now!"

Rainbow Dash grabbed Fluttershy and pulled her up into the air, so that she had to use her wings to keep herself up when was let go of. After only a second's hesitation she took off after Dash. Pinkie was right – losing one friend was plenty enough. She wasn't going to let Nightmare take anyone else away.

The two Pegasi rose up and above the Nightmare phoenix, which had overshot them when they'd stopped, and was coming back toward them for another attack. Rainbow Dash rushed past one of its wings, knocking it enough to unbalance the large, ungainly bird. As it spun around in the air, Fluttershy bravely rammed herself into the back of its head, sending Nightmare rolling forward, low enough to crash to the ground.

"Fluttershy, fly away, _now_." Rainbow Dash took off over the trees further into the forest before the massive bird could regain itself, and Fluttershy quickly followed. She could soon hear the heavy beats of its wings behind her. And it was catching up fast.

Twilight and Pinkie raced underneath, giving it their all in order to catch up. They saw a dark purple energy bolt form in its beak, and shoot forward, narrowly missing the flying ponies ahead.

Now that's not a bad idea, thought Twilight.

She focussed her energy and send her own silver plasma bolt flying up from her horn, hitting the phoenix in the stomach. She'd been aiming for the wing, which would have messed up its flight, and now she'd just made it angrily switch targets. It reached down with sharp, powerful talons, bobbing up and down above the tree tops as it grabbed at Twilight repeatedly.

The bolt had taken more out of Twilight than she'd anticipated, so it was in a dazed state that she desperately zigzagged along the path, hoping that she was dodging the next swipe. But her vision was unclear and she tripped over an outcropping rock, sliding forward painfully as she hit the ground.

Now that her target was still, Nightmare outstretched both talons and went for Twilight, screeching in victory.

WHAM!

Pinkie had thrown herself fully at the bird's ankles and made the claws miss their quarry by a metre. Clumsily flapping back up above the trees, the dark, crackling eyes now set themselves furiously on Pinkie, who was already racing away.

Dash saw the dark mass going after the earth pony, too far away for even her to catch it up in time. So she swooped down, doing the first thing that came into her head.

Pinkie darted between trees, but Nightmare just flew above them, and eventually she had to stop in front of thorn bushes that were too thick to force her way through. And when she turned, the great phoenix was already on the ground blocking her path back.

"What was it you said before about killing me?" The beast hissed. But then it was knocked forward – not in a lunge, it stumbled forward so that Pinkie had to run forward under it, dodging the flailing talons, to avoid being crushed. She looked up and what she saw made her whoop, whilst it made the phoenix glare and screech in anger.

Rainbow Dash flying towards them, carrying Twilight underneath her. The Unicorn was firing more energy bolts toward her too-big-to-miss mark. The bombardment of energy into Nightmare's stomach was breaking up its form into a cloud-like substance once again, and when Twilight gave the signal with a poetic battle cry of "NOW!", Rainbow Dash let go of her, and she sped through the air toward the great phoenix, horn shining, a crackling torpedo.

She plunged through the beast's now-yielding belly, and in a split-second thought back over all the training she'd done with her magic. Everything she'd learned from Princess Celestia, from books, from her adventures in Ponyville, how she'd learned to control her magic. And she forgot it. Twilight thought back to when she'd hatched Spike from his egg on the day she'd been tested for entrance into the School for Gifted Unicorns; how she'd been enveloped by the inner power that she'd discovered and completely lost control. She tried to make herself let go of that control once again.

It helped that Nightmare had killed one of her friends.

* * *

><p>The resulting explosion could be seen from high above the forest; specifically by two ponies who had made their way up to the top of a one of the few hills that broke out of the oppressive layer of treetops and looked out over the forest below. The one who'd struggled up recognised the signature magic immediately.<p>

"They're in trouble." She stated to the second pony, who just looked on with her, so still. She was standing further forward than the first, and with the position of her hat Rarity couldn't see her companion's face. She was leant forward slightly, but Rarity couldn't tell if she was eager to rush forward, or just smelling in the air, or something else entirely. Either way, it didn't look like whatever was happening in the forest before them was over.

* * *

><p>Twilight was roughly awoken by forceful kicks to the side. When she opened her eyes and squinted through her migraine, it was Fluttershy's panicked face that met her.<p>

"We've got to go, she's still alive!" She pushed her snout underneath Twilight's chest and helped her up. The unicorn raised her head and took in the many small wisps of dark purple smoke floating all around them. They were quickly forming individual shapes, and soon they were faced with a cloud of much smaller, but more violent-looking birds.

They took off through the first gap in the flock they saw. Twilight didn't know if she was leading the birds to Ponyville or not – she was so staggered by her expulsion of magic that it took all of her concentration to see the path a few metres in front of her.

"What do we do know?" She yelled to whoever was in hearing range. "She's invincible!"

"Maybe not!" Rainbow Dash's voice came from a little above and to the right of her. "She survives when we blow her into little bits, sure, but what happens when we blow _those_ bits into little bits?"

"I can't do another explosion like that again." It was a real effort for Twilight to keep running – if there hadn't been a great big killer swarm behind them, she would have collapsed right there.

"Then I can do a little rainboom-boom ka-choom, but I need them all to be grouped together!"

"Fly ahead and get ready, we'll bring them to you!"

Dash sped away into the distance. Twilight approached Pinkie and Fluttershy and relayed the plan to them as quietly as she could over the noise of their hooves and the angry squawking behind them. The birds weren't as fast now that they were miniature, but they were still catching up.

Twilight and Pinkie fell back, arcing wide to either side as the birds on the edge of the swarm pecked and grabbed at them. Fluttershy flew out in front, giving them a target to keep going forward toward and low enough so they would remain on the ground level instead of flying up.

Pinkie and Twilight struggled to keep the swarm packed together. Their quarry weren't as interested as flying forward as they were attacking the ponies to their sides. Little groups of them kept splitting off and diving for each of them, and they had to swerve sideways into the flock to return the birds to the big group, at which point they were pecked and scratched furiously. Fluttershy too was being set upon from behind, unable to dodge all of the swipes that came her way, crying out with a high squeal of pain periodically.

Twilight's vision was still too blurred to make out if Rainbow Dash was tearing towards them yet. She knew if they didn't make the flock more compact, they'd just break up into the air as soon as Dash reached them. But there wasn't anything more they could do. Twilight was drained and aching and all her cuts stung. Pinkie and Fluttershy were beginning to lag too. They just didn't have anything left in them.

And then she heard a shrill whistle and an impossibly – no, an _unbearably_ familiar voice.

"GIT ON UP, LADIES!"

Even with her impaired vision, Twilight couldn't deny whose face her eyes revealed to her when an amber shape streaked past and looked back – that of Applejack.

She felt a scream coming on, which Applejack must have seen in her face because she quickly yelled "Time fer hollerin' and explainin' later, missy! Right now we got us some roundin' to do! Follow my lead!"

Twilight's scientific mind put aside the impossibility that was speaking to her, and prioritised the swarm of killer Nightmare birds they were trying to gather up. She shouted up to Fluttershy "Fall back! Get above them!"

Fluttershy obeyed, but when she saw who took her place she squealed in near-horror.

"Twilight, it's-"

"Stay above them! Dash is coming!"

Far ahead, a blue spark was fast approaching. But with Fluttershy able to keep a lid on the flock there were much less dive-bombs on Twilight and Pinkie. As a result, they could now force the birds lower down back into the swarm and keep it moving forward, so much so that Applejack could come back around the sides and it kept going, allowing her to compact the whole thing into a solid shape.

"Here she comes!" She called out, and the ponies all dived to either side as Rainbow Dash took the cue to finally burst into the Rainboom she'd been holding back from, right in the centre of the cloud. The birds were already insubstantial, being only the debris left from the greater Nightmare phoenix, so when they were blasted apart there were no insects forming from the tiny strands of purple that were left. They just dissipated until the air was clear and still again, aside from the sound of panting ponies and the distant crow of a Pegasus, who couldn't help herself.

* * *

><p>That night at Rarity's home was made up of a repetitive circle of tears, an impromptu party, tears again, melancholy discussion, another party, and finally ended with all the ponies collapsing together, Rarity back in her bed and sleeping for the first time in a long while.<p>

* * *

><p>She never died. Never. As long as there was a shred of bitterness somewhere in this realm she could clutch onto (which is often all she found), Nightmare was never gone, never truly defeated. But she was now frailer than she'd ever been, completely battered from every form she'd taken in the physical world. She simply wafted amongst the trees in a spiritual state, barely enough consciousness to perceive the soul of each tree she passed. It would be a long, long time before she could take any action again.<p>

Except for finding herself dragged back into the physical plane and thrown onto the ground AGAIN.

"CONFOUND YOU PONIES!" She cried, pure rage giving her new strength. "You drive me to-"

She stopped in confusion. It wasn't a Unicorn standing nearby, it was an earth pony. And yet the force she was trapped under was clearly magical – no. Not magical or physical. Something other. Something she had never felt before in all of her lifetime.

"So you're the one who killed me." The earth pony's voice was vaguely familiar as one of Twilight's gang. "No power now, I see."

Nightmare couldn't even feel what form she had taken. Whatever it was, the pony was pacing around her, examining her – not just her shape; she could feel its eyes looking deep into her, it's _other_ force filling her like light. Except that there was nothing light about this being.

"At the height of your power you were defeated by a gang of near-children. Not even when they had their true power to aid them, as they did before. How does that feel?"

Nightmare couldn't have spoken if she wanted to. The pony, fast becoming a vague shadow in her vision, stopped its pacing, and she felt the creature's dark power start to seep back out and return to its owner.

"They were even able to undo what you'd done." The voice's tone wasn't mocking, but oddly intrigued. "Bring my soul back to them so that they could delight in the love and joy we had together."

All of the energy had left Nightmare now, and the she knew that the pony had no more interest in her, as a threat, resource or curiousity.

"Not that I care." It said.

The pony's eyes blinked once, and Nightmare was wiped out of existence.


	3. Consequently

Rain pattering on the windows woke Fluttershy. She kept her eyes closed, feeling the warmth of the day streaming into the room and onto her face. She felt inexplicably happier than she'd felt in a long, long time. Something nuzzled against her side, making her open her eyes. And she remembered that it was Applejack lightly snoring next to her. A big, joyful grin spread out over Fluttershy's face as she took in the sight of all of her friends curled up together on Rarity's living room floor, all of them alive and well.

* * *

><p>Soon, all Ponyville was rejoicing too. The Apple family wouldn't let her go for days, and when she did manage to leave the Acres, Apple Bloom was always at her side. The gloom that had covered the town dissipated, and the world was a better place for Applejack being back in it.<p>

Until Princess Celestia found out.

* * *

><p>"Your majesty, you haven't even seen the Mayor!" Twilight nearly had to gallop to keep up with the Princess' long, fast strides.<p>

"There is only one pony I need to see today, Twilight."

Twilight knew Spike was lagging behind, breathless, but wasn't going to leave her mentor's side, especially when she was clearly on a mission of great importance.

The two of them arrived at Rarity's house, and the Princess walked straight in without knocking, Twilight scampering behind her. Rarity was out of bed, her leg mostly healed now that she was less stressed. She was happily working on a design for something or other when she looked up and gasped in horror.

"Your majesty!" She bowed low. "Forgive me, my shop is a mess! If I-"

"Rarity, I will speak with you alone." There was not an ounce of friendliness in Celestia's tone, and Twilight knew the statement had been directed toward her, so she quickly stepped outside and shut the door.  
>She waited for a long time, pretending not to hear the raised voices, until Spike arrived with Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash in tow.<p>

"What's goin' on?" Applejack asked, nervously. But it was obvious. The words "magic" and "dangerous" could be heard enough times from inside to make it clear what exactly Princess Celestia was bellowing at Rarity for. And to Twilight's horror, she could hear Rarity's voice sounding just as loud back at her monarch.  
>Suddenly, a great clap of thunder and a flash came from inside the house, and the voices stopped. Still no-one dared even go to the windows to look in, though other ponies had gathered to the house at the noise.<p>

The door swung open and the Princess strode out, her expression more angry than Twilight had feared of her.

"Twilight Sparkle."

The student stepped before her teacher diligently.

"I hereby give you the position of Magical Director. You will supervise all use of magic in Ponyville and report directly to me anything you consider dangerous."

Twilight said "Yes, your majesty" before she'd fully taken in the authority she was being given. And no-one else spoke a word in reaction. They just watched their ruler walk away through the cloud before stopping.

"Applejack," she said. "I'm very glad you're back."

And then she was gone, straight upwards in a rocketing leap, back to her castle.

Everyone rushed to Rarity's door, but when Twilight called out "Stay back!" even her friends stopped more quickly than they would have before her new appointment. Twilight pushed back the odd feeling this gave her and went into the house.

Rarity was lying on the floor, facing away from her. It was quickly apparent that she was breathing and awake, but Twilight froze too when she saw that there was now only one horn of a Unicorn in the room.

* * *

><p>"Bu' the Crusader's Picnic is meantah be in the orchard!"<p>

"I'm sorry Apple Bloom, but things the way they are, I don't think that'd be such a good idea. Scootaloo can come over fine."

"But we're a team! We can't leave Sweetie Belle outta anythin'!"

This was the first argument Apple Bloom had had with her sister since her return, and it didn't feel good. The sound of bickering could usually be heard over all parts of the farm from all family members, but it felt wrong to have the life Applejack had come back to have any kind of bad in it. So Apple Bloom couldn't understand why her sibling didn't feel the same way. She seemed tired by the row, but when she turned back to meet her eye, there was no give in her resolve.

"It jus' can't be. I'm real sorry, but the eyes of real powerful ponies are on me and Rarity right now, so until they're gone it's best we don't do anythin' at all to give 'em cause to think trouble's occurin'."

"It's jus' a picnic!"

"Do you want somethin' to happen to Sweetie Belle too?" Applejack sighed and lowered her voice, knowing she'd yelled. "I know it ain't right. But that kinda time's the time when we gotta keep things goin' smooth. I don't want any more to come of what happened."

Guilt card. Classic sister move. But it was on a subject that Apple Bloom couldn't face, so she huffed noncommittally and kept on with her drawing. Most of her stuff had ended up here in Applejack's room, due to the two never being apart these days. And the little filly always had the elder sibling in the corner of her eye, so she gasped when she saw her bring out the chest that held the magical piece of jewellery that represented her Element of Harmony.

"Leave it be!" She cried out. "Don't you be thinking of goin' out and usin' that again!"

"I'm just looking, Apple Bloom." Applejack's voice was quiet. "I'm know all you guys'd rather not think about it all, but for me it's something that needs thinking over now and again."

Apple Bloom watched carefully as Applejack gently took the Element in her teeth and carried it to her bed, where she curled up and brought her face to it, taking in every shine of it reflected. She became so engrossed in it that Apple Bloom found herself collecting up her pencils and leaving. She didn't want to know what thoughts were going through her sister's head.

* * *

><p>Twilight Sparkle loved being busy. Her list of books to read was always growing, there was always a checklist to get through, and then there were the visits to all the friends she'd made in Ponyville she had to make to be sure she was growing in her knowledge of the magic of friendship. If there was nothing for her to do, Twilight would feel empty and guilty, like there was something she SHOULD be doing but had forgotten. Activity gave Twilight life.<p>

But this was ridiculous.

As Magical Director, Twilight was meant to oversee every single piece of magic done by unicorns throughout Ponyville. There were those who would come to her door to see if they needed permission for the most menial of tasks like carrying. Until now, Twilight had no idea of the fear a power like Celestia could bring on a community. And she saw the new way people looked at her as she inspected their enchantments and just walked down the street. She had the power to report any of them directly to Celestia. Twilight had decided she didn't like power.

And she didn't know what other ponies were saying about the whole thing. Too often she'd had to turn down Pinkie's invitations or Cheerilee's requests for he to give lectures in favour of overseeing building constructions by unicorns, Magic Art by unicorns, even writing by unicorns. She had a feeling that many unicorns had now adapted to not use magic for all the tasks Earth Ponies and Pegasi did without horns. There was also a nagging feeling that it was her duty to do something about Zecora, and her thousand potions which Twilight was sure wouldn't meet the Acceptable Use Policy found in the new 'Guide to Magical Practice' Celestia had provided her with.

But more than Zecora, Twilight felt guilty about Rarity. She was another pony she hadn't seen purely for having been busy, and, though the only non-magical Unicorn in the town, was also the one pony she knew she should be seeing. The whimpers that Twilight knew were shrieks underneath Rarity's barely-maintained restraint of that night were the last thing she remembered as her now-disabled friend was rushed away were the last thing she remembered of her. She'd heard that she was back in her shop and that other than the obvious, no real harm had been done physically. But especially with her previous injury to her leg, Twilight knew that Rarity must be beyond miserable.

And so, one day she gave in and gave Spike one appointment more than she usually delegated to him, which added more guilt as she knew as a baby dragon he needed his sleep, and set off to Rarity's shop.

It was open for business, and a customer, Tick-Tock, was coming out as Twilight approached. The spiky-haired brown colt pretended he hadn't seen her and set off at a quick trot, though he was an Earth Pony and so had no reason to do so that Twilight could see. She nudged open the door and spotted Rarity bent over a sewing machine. The bell above the entrance rang out, making the pale pony turn.

The usually so glamorous Rarity looked as shattered as Twilight felt. Her eyes drooped and her mouth hung slack where it obviously ached by her having to use her mouth for everything she'd previously done with magic. And the quiff of her mane was gone; it now hung in a tasteful fringe that made Twilight conscious of how long it had been since she'd attended to her own. The new hairstyle of course hid the scar which Twilight remembered vividly on her forehead. Rarity's horn hadn't been snapped off, nothing as kind as that. It was like it had been pulled out of her skull.

But the scar was hidden, and Rarity's face lit up with delight when she recognised her friend.

"Twilight my darling!" She rushed to her and the two nuzzled each other's necks for a moment. "Do excuse my rudeness but I'll have to continue to work while we- Sweetie Belle!"

Rarity's younger sister hurried in, four differently covered strips of material floating above her. Sweetie Belle had come to Twilight and requested permission to be granted any hovering and manipulating spells needed to assist her sister in the shop, which she had immediately been given. And now she was rushing to a table where Rarity instructed her to start following the designs for a range of scarves that had been requested by a client in Canterlot. The elder set back to work at the sewing machine.

"So.." Twilight struggled to find an opening that wasn't anything along the lines of 'how are you doing', and was grateful for the rescue when Rarity asked her about her new duties, which also allowed her to let off some steam as they laughed together.

"Mmmm ghmm frmm-" Rarity spit out the sleeve of the dress. "Apologies. Does that now mean you know-"

The bell above the door nearly fell off its hook as Fluttershy crashed in.

"Twilight!" she yelled, gasping, taking a moment to settle on where her purple friend was in the room before rushing up to her. "I thought as Director you should have all our Elements, so I went to get it, and it was gone! My cupboard was a mess, someone had taken it!"

"What?" Twilight's thoughts went straight to the drawer under Spike's bed that held her own tiara, and what would happen to him if the thief came in while he'd snuck home for a nap.

"RARITY!"

And then it was Sweetie Belle who they was rushing to the rescue off, the scream having come from upstairs. There was a horrific-sounding thunk, and the silver filly flew out of the room, only saved from colliding with the wall by Fluttershy's wing-propelled leap through the air.

Someone in the bathroom had kicked her. And as they stormed through the door rage turned to confusion as they saw that the kicker was Applejack.

In the next two seconds all that Twilight was able to take in was the shine of Rarity's Element in Applejack's mouth, Rarity's bellow of fury at Applejack, and that she was taking a step forward in order to ask what was going on. The step forward had been a mistake. Applejack leapt into an aggressive stance, her face a snarl of violence, and _magicked Twilight into the air._

A black energy surrounded Twilight as she hovered above the floor, blocking out everything, including her own magic. Something like an electric shock rushed through her, white hot, and a voice echoed through her skull.

The voice said _YOU ARE NOTHING_, and Twilight crashed to the floor as Applejack bounded out of the window.


	4. Hidden

She was leaping from rooftop to rooftop ahead. Rarity's house was in a district of Ponyville made up mostly of two-floor houses, where she could stay high above anyone after her on the ground below.

But that was no problem for a pegasus.

Something had happened to Fluttershy when she'd seen Applejack attacking Twilight. She hadn't even stopped to check if Applebloom was okay - she'd just gone straight out of the window after her friend. It hadn't been anger, or even fear for Applejack herself that made her act so quickly. Even now she couldn't find any emotion going through her head (which was helpful when it was fear who was taking a well-earned day off). It was a cool, straightforward thought occupying her as she gave chase - Applejack had to be stopped.

When Fluttershy wanted to be, she was very quick. She remembered the time years ago when she'd actually managed to catch up to Rainbow Dash while pulling her friends in a balloon. That had been an exert brought on by one of her extremely rare moments of rage, whereas now she could calculatingly follow Applejack from above with an aerial view, her quarry having to navigate a course across the rooves of the houses. It was better to focus on just tracking her than think about the reasons why she was doing so.

Applejack's Stetson was characteristically secure even as she bounded wildly, changing direction on a point. She had a saddlebag on, not yet having moved Rarity's Element from her mouth to it. Fluttershy clocked it, then made a sudden dive as... whatever it was she was chasing was clearing another gap.

Their bodies collided, Fluttershy spinning away out of control as the other pony fell to the ground. She was up and galloping away, disappearing into the crowd before her pursuer had recovered, but her plan had worked. She'd dropped the bag. Fluttershy hurried to it and lifted the flap.

But she didn't see the gleam of her own necklace inside. The bag was full of apples.

The worn out pegasus fell to her knees as laughter echoed back to her.

* * *

><p>It was Princess Luna who greeted Twilight and Spike as the Chariot arrived at the Castle. After customary greetings between three members of the royal court, Luna led the (far) younger pony further inside.<p>

"Zecora's had no luck with her tracking." Twilight informed her Prime Minister. Even on the farm. It's like even when she was here, she left no trace."

"Have you been keeping an eye on the family?" Luna frowned when Twilight didn't meet her gaze. "It's nearly certain that she will return home and try to trick them into taking her in. Take it from one who was once-"

"I know." That was a piece of mercy, Luna breathed inwardly. These last few weeks of reminders from her possession and banishment were not easy to bear. But Twilight was bothered by something else. "There are royal guards posted there. Watching or friend like criminals. And she's not Nightmare." She added before Luna could lecture her on 'hard times'. "I felt her speak to me when she stole Rarity's element. It wasn't her. There was no arrogance."

Luna shivered. She could remember the feeling of superiority over everything - including her sister - when she'd been Nightmare Moon. There was no way it could be her if that pride had been lost. So it was something else.

Spike had been silent during the discussion of official business, following them on foot rather than ride on Twilight in a Royal presence. But now he piped up, "Where's Princess Celestia? I thought this was the biggest emergency in years."

Luna liked the baby dragon. Centuries ago there had been more like him on the court, quick to get to the heart of important issues rather than tiptoe around ceremony and etiquette of the monarchy. It had been a time of more frequent danger, and whether this young one spoke up out from immature brashness or not, he was well suited to crucial discussion. "She is attending to the reason you were summoned." They had been walking up inside the castle, and at these words the younger Princess led them through a set of doors onto a balcony overlooking a large courtyard.

Princess Celestia was there. And her booming voice was addressing an army.

Twilight recognised the pegasi who made up the Wonderbolts attending to their duties as Knights of the Realm, always an honorary position until now. They were at the head of the mass of what could now be seen as all pegasi, and took off straight up with the rest when their Commander in Chief had concluded her address.

Princess Celestia turned after the last had flown away. Luna tried to gauge Twilight's reaction. "They will find Applejack." Her sister stated, apparently trying to decipher her student's thoughts as well. "Every part of Equestria will be searched, and... they have orders to kill on sight, if possible."

Luna held her breath. Would her discoveries of the magic of friendship make her rebel against the one who led her to them? But Twilight just hung her head, no trace of defiance.

"She's not Applejack." She said lowly. Both Princesses nodded at her understanding, and together they all went back inside the castle.

Then stopped dead at the sound of Spike coughing, retching and flaming out a letter.

The three ponies turned to him as he dumbfoundedly clutched the scroll in his claws. Spike had been given a special enchantment to send and receive letters to and from Princess Celestia. No-one else could intercept their letter stream. The thing that he was unscrolling was impossible.

"Dear Princess Celestia," he read to his silent audience. "I have learned that friendship really is the most powerful force in the world. Objects such as your Elements of Harmony truly do possess unity of strength to intimidate and destroy. Your welcoming party for me learned this, although sadly cannot retain the lesson now that they are..." Spike gulped. "digested."

Luna reeled. It had been SECONDS since the pegasi had been sent out.

"Any heretical resistance," Spike continued. "will most certainly lead to even quicker destruction than I initially planned to realize. I hope that you and your subjects will ever bear this in mind. Your faithful student." Spike looked up at the faces fixed on his. "That's all there is."

* * *

><p>The next day was sabbath-like. Not a single pony worked, and some didn't even leave their homes. Shock covered the land like a blanket, incapacitating everyone beneath it. Aside from the momentary fears of Nightmare Moon and Discord's returns, it had been millennia since ponies had been under any great threat to their kingdom. Princess Celestia and Luna had disappeared, whether retreated into the castle to plan a counterattack, or vanquished themselves, no-one knew.<p>

But the one pony who everyone expected to worry most about their absence was otherwise occupied.

* * *

><p>The letter. Pressing down on Twilight's mind, blocking out all other concerns was the letter. She had no idea what, but there was something about it that was off, that didn't sit right, that made her horn ache while everyone else was concerned with the end of the world as they knew it. She knew it was stupid, that she should be the one rallying the people around her together. And yet the letter stayed at the front of her mind.<p>

She was broken out of her reverie by the front door. Peering over the top bookshelf from her bed she saw five figures come in. She came down to meet them.

"Twilight," Pinkie opened. "We need a plan."

"I know." She replied.

"I told you she knew." Spike hissed.

"It's up to us." Rainbow Dash put in. "We're the ones who had the Elements of Harmony. And Applejack's our friend."

"Was." Twilight corrected bitterly.

"Is." Rarity said firmly. "Everything she was, everything she's ever done for us, has changed our lives. We're what's left of her. And I for one am sure as hay not going to let her die out. So what's the plan?"

Twilight thought.

"What's this?" Fluttershy's voice piped up, and Twilight looked up to see her peering at the letter.

"That's from... her."

Fluttershy read it through, then stepped back from it. "It's so strange. It doesn't sound like her at all. The words..."

Twilight nodded. The language was as far away from Applejack's country slang as could be gotten. It just sounded weird. In fact, it was more than that. It was VERY weird.

"Everyone? Shut up for a minute, okay?"

"What?" Rainbow Dash stepped forward. "What about a plan? What are we going-"

"Dash, there's just no time. Shut up or get out. That goes for all you."

The ponies stood in stunned silence as Twilight brought the letter to herself and pored over it again.

Spike starred ushering everyone away from the middle of the room. "We'd better just shut up, guys." He said quietly. "She's gotta think real hard real fast and... that's gonna let a little crazy out."

Twilight's friends stood in silence as the unicorn before them started muttering to herself. "Cos she's old. She's older than language itself, she wouldn't sound old-fashioned because she was never there when people spoke like that. So WHY?" She shouted suddenly, making everyone jump. She came right up to Fluttershy, talking to her. "She was mocking us. Using our own format of speech in the form of our letters to Celestia."

Fluttershy's nodding seemed to satisfy her, so she went back into the middle of the room and started holding the letter up to the light, spinning it around herself, and pressing it against her face. "She's so clever, she would knowhowexactlytowritesowhyth eseexactwordswhereinherheadw ouldthedecisionhavecomefrom to oh."

She stopped. And stared. Then, just to make sure, she brought a quill from her desk and circled it.

As her friends still dared not to talk, she turned to them and said, dramatically, ecstatically;

"Is."

And sprinted out the door.

The others ran to the letter where, circled in Twilight's quill, was an acrostic made up of the first letter of every line which read "I'M STILL HERE".


End file.
